By your side
by dsha801
Summary: Michael is just a vet who accidentaly hit a dog with his car, though what he doesn't know is that this dog, that doesn't seem to accept any of the names he chooses, might have bigger problems than just his wounded leg, Vet!Michael x Shifter/familiar!Dean.
1. The crash

**N/A. Okay, I know I should be working in my main fic, but the michean!week is in its last days and I wanted to write this story. I already have the plot outlined in my mind, though only three chapters written. I won't update once a week, probably. It'll depend mostly in my mood, but so you know that I'm planning in finishing this. Vet!Michael and Shifter/familiar!Dean.**

**And I know that I suck with titles, so seriously, if someone has something better just tell me. I know my title is pretty lame, sorry.**

**Well, now enjoy! And let me know what you think about it ;D**

oooooooooo

_Run,_ his mind screamed, _faster._

And he obeyed, swallowing his exhaustion, following the instructions that his tired brain provided, because those were the only thoughts he could understand clearly, the only ones which in his state of mind he could process unquestionably, but the action was getting more and more difficult to do with every step he took. Everything hurt. His jaw was bruised and he could only see barely from his left eye, the other was swollen. His muscles ached in pain, a reminder of how weak his human body was getting, but there was nothing he could do because if he shifted now he was sure that he would lose himself into his own instincts of survival, and that was not what his family needed, after all, his brother was alone like him, running.

It was Tuesday, he sighed, why it didn't surprise him.

He fell, his face crashing against a rock. He grunted and bit his lips in an attempt to not let a sound out while he breathed, in and out. He concentrated in his respiration as he heard the nature surrounding him, their sounds calmed him and help to stabilize his pulse; though he still could smell the ashes every time he inhaled, his lungs protesting with every breath. His ribs may be broken but they would heal if he gave them time.

A firefly flew close to his nose with his bright light, mocking at him as he remembered that November second, it was also Tuesday. He closed briefly his eyes and the only things he could hear for a second were the yelling of that day, he shocked his head in an attempt to clear it. It didn't work and the light of the firefly he could see behind his eyelids wasn't helping him to get a hand of reality neither. He squashed the bug with a hand and killed it; he stood up, ignoring how his body protested and his mind clouded. He choked a sob when he felt the pain in his ankle, but he was starting to hear the steps of his pursuers behind him again.

He applied pressure at his bloody side and continued running, ignoring the pain on his leg, knowing that if they were behind him it meant that they have left his brother alone. They separate paths an hour ago and Dean couldn't smell him, which meant that he was far from him. That was a good sign considering the situation.

The wind was changing his course, helping him to gain a good step when he heard it.

A gunshot accompanied by a howl. A _pained_ howl. It was almost a shriek of pain, the ones you hear when a wolf is close to death, a sound he could recognize everywhere. And not just because it belonged to his brother. He stretched his senses and started running towards the sound, his ribs be damned. His brother _needed_ him. He didn't heard anything, not sign of fight, everything was calm while his blood kept pounding faster against his ribs and he started feeling the changes of his body did unconsciously. He was losing control but he didn't care, if this was the way he was going to get closer to the hunters so be it. And if he lose himself and killed the humans? Then he wouldn't be happier.

As his form shifted into a canine, his senses increased. His sight, his hearing, his speed. This form had more advantages but it was also difficult to grasp his human mind without ignoring the instincts of the animal. His body enlarged even more as he let his emotions cloud his mind. He ran faster ignoring the part of his brain that told him to search for a cave to rest and lick his wounds, he focused more in the part of his wolf mind that was angry because someone was threatening his brother.

But then there was another gunshot. On his already wounded leg.

He almost fell because of the pain, he turned his head and growled, seeing two figures coming close, luckily for him they were too far away, but their weapons seemed to have a large range as they tried to aim at him again. He almost gave up and decided to just wait and try to do the most damage he could to them when they got closer, but he could already hear the struggles of his brother, the pained sounds he made as he moved. And he could also hear the steps that were following Sam, walking slowly as if they were enjoying seeing his brother in such pain. And the laughs. Fuck, the laughs were the worst thing, mocking at his little brother.

He moved, ignoring the whining sounds his throat was making. He saw the change in the surroundings as he started to reach the road, there were just small trees in there. Apparently his brother crossed the path to lose the hunters. He limped as his eyes got too glazy to look, he could hardly see what was in front of him so he just followed the scent of his brother that was also fading. He saw a shredded t-shirt on the edge of the road, it was torn in a way that didn't reassembled the large amount of shirts he tore apart while shifting, but he knew that it belonged to Sam because he saw him with it just an hour before.

It was a trap. Someone had managed to get close enough to take Sam's shirt from him and placed it here to distract his nose. Dean growled but grabbed the piece of clothe between his teeth so he would catch a sign of where his brother was. He only knew that he was crossing the road and nothing else because of the whining sounds.

Dean put his foot on the floor to gain more speed, not caring if the damage on his leg got permanent, because his brother needed him. The baby brother he had decided that it was his job to care. The one who wanted to be a lawyer so he could feel more human. The one who just read and read and bitched when he turned up the volume of his music. The one who still slept next to him in his canine form when he got nightmares. The one he taught how to write and read and hunt and-

Gunshot.

No more sounds, no more breathing, the familiar scent was covered in so many blood that it was getting hard to distinguish; the shirt between his teeth was the single thing that maintained his scent. The only sound he could hear was of the laugh that echoed from the woods into his ears.

He cried in anger as he jumped from the grass to the road, following the laughter so he could at least die by his brother's side.

When he heard the car it was already too late to dodge it. The collision was the last drop in the figurative glass that represented his shattered body. He was too weak to try to put resistance as his mind slowly blacked out. The last thing he felt were the hands of someone on him as he used the last amount of energy he possessed to tighten the hold on the shirt.

-ooo-

"Oh, come on, Michael! You can be in that mood all the time." Michael sighed as he ignored the urge he had of just grab the neck of his brother between his hands and-

"You're thinking in how to kill me again, am I right? That can be healthy, you know."

"For you, you mean."

"Michael, stop bitching. You need to take a break once in a while, a vacation."

"I don't need it, Luce. And I can't afford to make one either."

"You're you own boss, for fuck sake!" Michael was tempted to roll his eyes as his brother moved his hands in frustration.

"That doesn't mean that animals won't get injured while I'm gone."

"Seriously, I can't believe we're even related." His brother crossed his arms on his chest as he sighed dramatically. "It would be just two days; I think those beasts can go to other vet at least until you finish your vacation."

Michael tightened the grip on the wheel. He knew that his brother was using those kind of words just to bother him, if his smile was something to go by.

"But seriously brother, you need to chill out. You only take a vacation when I drag your sorry ass in one."

"But I accept in the end, don't I?" He scoffed.

"Yes, of course. Just after I bitch for at least a week." His brother opened the glove compartment and started to look the CD's that were there, trying to choose a good one to play, but his frown was only increasing with every title he passed. "Seriously, I don't know how we can be related."

"Just chose one."

"I would if you had good taste and listened more than this crap." Michael sighed in exhaustion but smiled as he said his next words.

"Then we could maybe return until we're better prepared and schedule this to another day."

"You're not escaping this, Michael. " He scoffed but returned his attention to the road, ignoring the protesting sounds of his brother as he kept looking. "And I know you, so I know that even if you're getting all prissy on me you really want to go to the cabin to enjoy yourself for a while. So drop the act."

Well, in one part he had to admit that he was right, though, he would never say it out loud. He wouldn't risk telling his brother that he was right in something.

Michael sighed once again as he turned his head slightly to have a better view of the forest on his left and enjoy it, because it was truly beautiful. The sun was already hiding and his light was lazily licking the clouds that were closer with orange colors, the leaves of the trees were turning green bright, and the light that reached the tips of the leaves emphasized the colors of the forest. As a soft wind brushed everything with gentle caresses, making the trees wave from side to side in what seemed a goodbye to the sun. The animals silenced like they were mourning the warmth that left.

Yes, Luce was right. Perhaps he needed this, to relax and just breathe the calm of the nature with his brother next to him like the old times. And he really loved that cabin; most of his fondest memories were gathered in that place. He could enjoy the quietness of it without mouthy persons trying to socialize with him; the good thing of his job was that he just needed little contact with others and more with animals.

"Aha!" Luce said signaling a CD of classic rock with a hand. "I knew that you weren't a totally lost cause!"

"Totally?"

"Hey, I'm not the one with a stick showed up in the ass, brother." Michael frowned at the choice of words.

"Stick show-"

"Your problem is that you don't get laid enough, brother." Lucifer waved a hand as he interrupted him.

"That doesn't concern you."

"Yeah, yeah. You haven't had any action in months and it doesn't bother you." He sighed. "That's why I constantly repeat how I don't believe that we're related."

Michael was ready to retort about how he didn't needed to change a partner every night like him in order to enjoy himself when he heard the first gunshot. Luce's hand froze in the turn on button of the radio and Michael frowned in confusion because in this place hunting wasn't allowed, so hearing a gunshot was indeed strange.

"Wasn't his place-" His brother started after the silence turned uncomfortable.

"Yes, someone must have ignored the-" Another gunshot. Michael shot a glance at his brother and then turned his head briefly towards the backseat. "Luce, my cell phone is on the backseat."

He followed his orders and grabbed the small bag from the backseat and place it on his lap, opening the pockets one by one.

"Wherein the hell-"

"It's in the inside pocket of the one that is on the front."

"This stupid bag has so many pockets, why do you even carry this bag?!" Michael scoffed in annoyance but turned his eyes quickly from the road to see the bag and put his hand inside of one of the front pockets getting more alarmed as other gunshot was heard.

"This one." He said as he threw the phone on his brother's lap. "Call the rangers."

"Why I'm not surprised that you have their number." He returned his eyes to the road as the words left his lips, smirking at the annoyed look on his brother when he saw a blur that crossed towards the other side of the road, so fast that Michael barely got time but to step on the brakes and luckily he managed to accomplish it, though he applied so much force that he thought for a moment that he broke them. He turned the wheel to avoid the crash at the same time that the animal turned his head towards the lights of the car. And even with all he tried he couldn't avoid to hit it.

He checked his brother first but the seatbelts protected them so Luce only had a panicked expression on his face, but he turned towards Michael and nodded at him. He nodded in return as he opened the door and got out. He was getting more alarmed with every step he took as he walked towards the car's front.

_He hit an animal with his car._

His thoughts were rushing so quickly that not even he could understand what it was trying to process, the only thing he knew was that in the next second he was already on his knees, his hands moving with expertise along the body, looking for injuries in what he could swear was a smaller animal from the one he hit. The dog whined as he touched gently his leg, noticing for the first time the blood pouring from the bullet wound.

_He hit a dog with his car._Michael's mind seemed to be in some sort of loop as it repeated the same words over and over.

He wasn't the type of person who cursed but in that moment he wanted so much to do so. His hands were trembling slightly as he took quickly a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed a hand on the wound. He almost jumped when he felt a hand grabbing his shoulder, but when he glance over his shoulder he saw his brother next to him, looking directly into his eyes with such calm that didn't fit the situation at all, though he wasn't the one who hit an animal.

"Michael, breathe." Michael blinked slowly at his brother but did what he was told. He knew what to do, he probably was the only hope of this dog to live and he wouldn't ruin it just because he was panicking. He was a doctor, the one who was supposed to have his head cool in this kind of situations. Though he also knew that one of the problems he had at the moment was that right now he didn't had any equipment to help the dog. Luce didn't let him bring any materials related to his work when they were on a vacation, but it was also true that he had packed something the last time he came to the cabin in the case that some small animal needed his help.

With his mind already sorted out, he took a deep breath again and nodded at his brother for the second time. Michael lifted the dog's leg trying to not pay much attention to the distressing sounds he made as he turned to see if there was an exit wound. The bullet was still inside.

"You drive. Let's go to the cabin, I have some things that could be of help in there." His brother opened the back door and helping him to move the heavy dog on the backseat to then ran to the front seat. Michael's pressure on the wound never wavered as his brother started the car.

"I'll help you. I promise." He told the unconscious animal who just sort of growled at the movement of the car. He turned the dog's head to make it easier for him to breathe while Michael checked for obstructions in his airway, when he found nothing he pressed two fingers on his elbow, sighing in relief when he realized that his pulse was still steady. Luce kept looking at him from the rearview mirror from time to time, just a quick glance with an eyebrow raised, concern evident in his eyes. Michael tried to give him a reassuring smile but he should have thought it better because his brother just snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You suck at giving smiles when you don't mean it, Michael. Don't embarrass yourself." After that they didn't talk too much, the trip to the cabin was quiet, both of them immersed on his own thoughts; the only sounds came from the dog and Michael's calming words.

When they parked outside the cabin Luce helped him with every door as he also held the dog from his upper body. He cleaned the table and both placed the dog on there. The shallows breaths he heard worried him, he was also sorry that he didn't had any anesthesia for him here, because it was obvious how much it hurted him.

"How bad the dog is?" Luce finally asked.

"Besides the bullet wound on his leg he has numerous lacerations all over his body, two fractured ribs and he's slowly getting in shock. His pulse also started to accelerate when we moved him."

"Woah. And he really looks beat up." Luce took a deep breath before adding. "So what can I do?"

"Search for the second aid kid we have and bring me towels." While his brother searched for the items Michael examined the wound on the dog's leg, it seemed to be dislocated but to set the bone he would need his brother's help because something inside told him that the dog would wake up and probably try to bite him, if he had the energy. Though he hoped that that was the case because it would meant that the dog better than he thought.

"I got it," His brother came rushing to his side with a box on his hands.

"Put some gloves and press here." He showed Luce the right pressure he needed to put on the handkerchief before grabbing some gloves for himself to slip them over his bloody hands to then sterilize the suturing scissors, which luckily were new in his package.

"Uh, Michael? The dog's breathing is kinda weird. " Michael's head perked at the statement and went to the other side to look at the dog's nose. Luce was right, but he couldn't give CPR at the dog while he treated the wound.

"You'll need to give the dog CPR."

"What?" Luce's eyes widened almost comically at his words, an incredulous laugh escaping from his lips.

"That you need to-"

"Oh, fuck. You're serious. Okay, okay. I understood the first time. I just hoped that you were joking."

"I don't joke in this kind of situation, Luce." He saw how his brother visibly swallowed involuntarily.

"You owe me big, mutt." Luce whispered on the dogs ear, he then straightened and look at him in resignation. "Okay, but his mouth is too big how I'm going to…?"

"You need to blow from his nose the moment I take tell you to, but for now help me with the tourniquet." Lucifer looked unsure but nodded. They positioned and then Michael worked with the leg.

He didn't remember how long it took, it seemed like time moved slowly and fast at the same time as Michael took the bullet out and bandaged the ribs. He also had to cut some hair before he stitched some cuts. It was funny to see Luce's face as he gave CPR to the dog, and as Michael suspected the dog almost bit his brother's face off when he set the leg in place, though it wasn't with as much force as he hoped.

It was dark when they finished with the worse wounds and Michael sent Luce to sleep because there was anything more he could help with, Michael kept monitoring the dog's pulse and checking the serum he gave him every few moments, and by the time the sky started turning bright the dog's pulse was strong. Luckily, Michael only had to apply one shot of adrenaline the entire time he was treating him; he had to give the dog one after he entered in shock.

"How the mutt is?" Luce asked him at five in the morning as he yawned. He sat on the chair next to the dog, he gave him a glance over and Michael could only guess how he looked. He felt weary but at the same time too awaken to try to get some sleep; his brother seemed to understand his mood as he just sat close to him and gave him a mug of coffee.

"He'll live." Luce let a relief breath at that, Michael couldn't resist the urge to tease him. "Didn't knew that you cared, Luce."

"Hey, I put my mouth on his nose! I didn't put my effort on that mutt for nothing!" Lucifer held his head high as he glanced away with a scoff, "And also, now I don't have to end with you moping around because of his death."

Michael sighed and rubbed his hand on his face, "It was my fault, if I had seen the road with more attention instead of-"

"Don't beat yourself, brother. You weren't the one who shot him." Luce said with a sharp tone. And he knew that what his brother said was true, but what Michael did was like kicking a wounded puppy, quite literally. "I see your expression, Michael. Seriously, stop. Okay, look at it this way. If you hadn't hit him, the mutt would be death because of the blood loss or something, don't you think?"

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose and grunted.

"Yeah, yeah. I know how it hurts you when I'm right but it's true, so suck it up." Luce grinned at him but then stayed quiet looking at the dog with a thoughtful expression. "I still don't understand why someone would shot a dog, I mean, they aren't the kind of animals normal hunters would hunt."

"I don't understand why someone would hunt. At all. Period." Luce scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's plant a tree and all, but seriously, in this forest hunting isn't even allowed and there are few cabins around here, and no one is close enough to the place we found the mutt."

"I'll call the rangers after this for answers." Michael yawned.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Luce stood as he grabbed his empty mug. "Not even coffee woke you up. It would be better if I call the rangers and you go to sleep, okay?"

Michael wanted to protest, but he didn't slept yesterday because of his brother helping him pack to this trip and the day before he only got a couple hours of sleep because of a surgery he had to perform. Perhaps when he called the rangers he won't remember what they said to him the day after. He sighed but stood and stroked the dog's mane before he started to walk towards his room.

"Okay, I'm going to bed. " He stopped and glanced over his shoulder to glare at Luce. "Just make sure that you write down everything the rangers tell you."

"Yes, dad."


	2. Is this a nightmare?

**N/A. I think this is the shortest chapter I've ever wrote, but if I added Michael's part here it would have been too long and I already did that in my other WIP, that's like the contrary of this story (There evryone dies except Sam), so no. no #YOLO here (sorry again for saying YOLO)**

**Thanks to Happyfish and NayuCortevallin for the comments and for the people that's following this work! Hope you like this short chapter ;D**

**_oo_**

The panic was the emotion that was easier to grasp from the mix he felt; it felt like drowning in a sea of confusing feelings, not being able to know what you were feeling exactly. The pain was also there, acting as the only anchor he had, the only proof that he was alive; a dead person shouldn't feeling this much pain because every time he tried to move, or even to breathe, it hurt.

He couldn't see anything, though he didn't know if it was because his eyelids were closed or just that he was dreaming. He was betting for the later because his body felt too light and surreal to be real, it was like he was floating in the river's calm wave. He tried to focus in the sensation and after a moment he forgot about the pain, his mind began to drift in the calm he was in. He couldn't remember if he had a few drinks yesterday, that was what it all was about? Actually, his mind slurred, now that he tried to think about it, he could remember anything too well; every time he tried to mentally grab a memory he felt how it clearly slipped from his fingers as if he were trying to grab sand.

He couldn't also ignore the little voice inside him that kept yelling at him, almost crying: _'Stop', 'Don't'._

How much exactly did he have really drunk? He swears internally, because he knows that this would means that the hangover he's going to have would be epic the next time he wakes, and he's sure that Sam will try to make loud noises and just being a pain in the ass. If he tries to bother him with that kind of shit or even tries to record him to use it as blackmail, he swears to god that he'll kill the ki-

Oh, god. _Sam._

Everything came rushing at him, quick like a blow in the stomach. The sound of the gunshots, the smell of fire and gunpowder, the _laughs_. The fucking laugh now echoed in his mind repeatedly and loudly as a reminder of how he had screwed things up, how he hadn't be able to save his family, mocking at him while the sweet memory of the true scent of his brother began to fade and instead changed into a different one covered in blood and it just kept that lingering on his nose as if he had his frigging corpse right in front of him.

He tried to push the blood aside and instead focused on the memories of Sam that he could grab hold. Like the ones were he licked at his cheek to wake him up and then curled at his side after some sort of nightmare couldn't let him sleep well; asking for some space to sleep, to feel the reassurance that he'd wake in a familiar place where he felt save, though next day he'd end waking him with almost all his body on the bed and just leaving him with half of his on the floor. He felt tears on his cheek as here hoped that it was just a nightmare, that he had just a few drinks and that was why this was a turning into a horrible nightmare; but Dean knew better and he couldn't lie himself anymore.

He could hear clearly the voice of his father telling him that he just had one job, _'just one job and you fucked that, soldier',_ and how disappointed he was of him, how it would be better if it were him and not his baby brother. Yelling at him to 'man up', to accept what happened and kill the hunters that had done it, but wasn't that what caused all this?

It had been his father fault! Sam had a fucking future, for crying out loud! Den only needed to take care of him and to be proud. Sam was supposed to live, not Dean. He was only a drop out, a nobody. Someone you found in every corner with nothing special in him, but Sam… Sam was a genius. He knew what he wanted and was ready to do anything to achieve his goals. And he was good and gentle, perhaps a little too girly, but he was smart. And now he was...

It should have been him. Not Sam.

The feeling of floating was fading too quickly, the pain was returning, it wasn't calm anymore now it felt as if he was close to a waterfall and soon he would fall, leaving the shell that was him into oblivion. He didn't fight against it; he just hoped that he couldn't hear the gunshots anymore there; they were too loud and left a disgusting metallic taste in his mouth. He just wanted to rip his ears and forget everything, because without his brother what was the point? His job was to take care of him and he screwed that, he was a good for nothing.

He just wanted to be forgotten, to go to a place where he couldn't hear anything, couldn't feel anything.

He wanted to die.


	3. Waking up

**A/N. I'm not vet, I mostly looked for the information about fractures, injections, dogs, and other kind of stuff.**  
**I've a cousin that is studying to be one, though. (That's mostly why I got the idea in the first place)**  
**So I apologize for any mistakes and if you know something is wrong, please tell me :D**

**Thanks for the comments, it helps.**

**-ooo-**

**.**

"Hey, Mike. Time to wake up." He heard someone calling, he turned his head to the side in response. "Okay, sleeping beauty if you don't wake up, I'll have to do something you won't like."

Michael grunted when his brother yanked the sheets off, he was already grabbing the pillow that was next to his head to throw it at him, but the smell of coffee stopped him. He finally opened his eyes, letting a breath of relief when he realized that there wasn't any sunlight coming from his window, though that just may be his brother blocking his view of the ceiling, using the coffee mug as a shield. Michael glared at him and covered his eyes with an arm before he sat to receive the mug.

"Come on, your big ass mutt is waking." Well, that did got his attention.

He stood up, rubbing his eyes as he walked outside the room he often used to sleep when he was here. He smelled the coffee and took a big sip from his mug as he crossed the hall that lead to the living room, noticing what time was thanks to the old watch that hung on the wall. 3:27 pm. He had slept for almost 7 hours.

He stepped inside the room and saw that the dog still slept on the table, the place where he left him a few hours ago; although this time he looked as if he was experiencing some sort of nightmare. His legs twitched slightly, moving in an action that would seem like he was running in his dreams; luckily he hadn't moved his injured leg.

"I don't know what to do to maintain him quiet, he just keeps doing that." Luce sighed as he sat on the couch looking really tired. "Not that I don't find it funny, but after an hour it kind of loses its charm and the whine doesn't get prettier either."

Michael frowned at his brother; he could see the few scratches he had now on his arms, clearly caused by an animal, he then smiled knowingly when he realized that if Luce could have fixed the problem without his help he wouldn't have woke him. Michael glanced at his right where the aid kid still was and searched for some of the alcohol he had used yesterday, already in his hands he also grabbed some cotton, placing his mug on top of the table and giving a pat at the dog before he walked towards his brother.

Luce sighed but held his arms high to give him a better sight of the wound. Michael spent a couple of minutes disinfecting the few scratches and when he finished he used some band aids, he took the advantage that he was backing off to use a hand to ruffle his brother's blonde hair, an action he hadn't do in years. "Thanks, Luce."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He tried to swat his hand but Michael noticed how his mouth quirked at the corners, accompanied with a light blush that adorned his cheeks. It has really been a long time since they could just act like brothers. Michael chuckled softly at his mannerisms before turning to give his attention to the dog, caressing his soft fur as he examined him once again.

Now with his brain already calm and rested he realized that he hadn't paid attention to some unique characteristics the canine possessed. Like his singular form, which was different from others breeds he had seen before, he was really big for being this young so he thought before that he was a Mastiff because of his ears, but he was far bigger than one, almost as big as a teenager Irish wolfhound, with a similar anatomic structure too, though his short fur felt more like the one of a Great Dane. And his teeth were larger than a normal dog.

He started to whine again when his injured leg twitched because of his dreams, Michael tried to make soothing noises but the sounds coming from the dog grew in volume, making his brother cover his ears with his palms to try to ignore it. "Please, make him stop! That damned sound will drive me crazy!"

Michael ignored him as he tried to decide if it was a good idea to wake him up. The dog was having nightmares and it was obvious that he was distressed but he didn't know how the he'd response at being in a different place with people he didn't know. Even if he was friendly before, someone hurt him; his mind may see them as enemies. But it was also true that he needed to check him properly and see what other places were injured.

"Ugh. Stop thinking and do something, the gears of your brain are louder than the dog's whines!" Michael turned towards his brother to glare him, but noticed that the dirty shirt, they found the dog held between his teeth last night, was on the table.

"Give me the shirt, Luce." Luce glanced at the piece of cloth and crunched his nose as he held it. "This ugly bloody thing? Why?"

"I'm going to wake him and he would react better if he has something that smells familiar to him."

"It wouldn't work as a trigger?" He asked as he leaned close to give him the shirt.

"Not yet, but I'm going to adjust the halter just in case." Michael searched for the last sedative he had in the aid kit and placed on the table. "I'm going to use this in case he gets to violent, though I hope he doesn't try to attack us. I don't if he's allergic to it."

"He's a big ass mutt, brother. He's going to attack us." He crossed his arms over his chest as he raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"You've to consider that yesterday I gave him pills, he's going to feel dizzy because of them." Luce sighed and shook his head before moving towards the dog's leg and placed his hands on it, applying some pressure.

"In case he tries something funny." He said.

"Just don't hurt his bad leg, just held him in place. Even with the pills he's probably going to have some strength." As an afterthought he added. "Be careful."

Michael ignored his brother's eyes as they rolled and instead focused in the being that lied in front of him. He placed the shirt next to the dog's head as he pet him, the action seemed to calm him somehow and Michael thought for a moment that maybe he'll be able to sleep now and it'd be better to get him into the closest vet clinic because if he was honest he was a little afraid. When he treated big animals he often had two or more people to help him hold the animal so it wouldn't hurt itself.

But it seemed that he was out of luck, because just a moment after he calmed the dog started to move again, though this time with even more desperation. Lucifer placed his weight on the dog's chest, his arm over the upper part of the injured leg, trying to stop him from moving it.

With his mind already sorted out, he started to wake gently the dog holding him from his neck. The dog surprised him when he woke abruptly with more strength that he would have imagine and started to fidget in panic. The dog looked alarmingly around, their eyes locking for a second when Michael tried to apply more force in his grip so he wouldn't hurt his neck.

Michael almost backed away in surprise, there was something in the dog's eyes that unnerved him, and it wasn't only how strange it was that he had a pair of bright green eyes that he hadn't seen before, not even in pit bull terriers, and he was pretty sure that they were the only breed that could have those kind of eyes.

He growled at him as he kept moving around, Michael could see the panic in his eyes accompanied with a raw hate he had never thought a dog could posses. He had seen anger and fear in dogs before, but never this kind of hate. Michael's attempts to soothe him were ignored as he still tried to bite his hands and when he realized that the halter wouldn't let him bite him he used instead to hit him with it.

"I'm not going hurt you." Michael repeated once again, trying to sound calm.

"Michael! Don't just put your hands! This fucking mutt is too strong." He followed his brother example and used his body to stop him from moving; but that didn't seem to stop him, as he kept struggling. He freed his left hand and slid it towards the shirt, snapping his fingers to gain the dog's attention; at first he only wanted to bump his hand, but he seemed to catch the shirt's scent because he stopped moving and looked around excitedly, forgetting for a moment of the weight of the two persons that continued to immobilizing him.

But when he noticed that the scent only came from the t-shirt a whine escaped him, though it sounded more like a broken sob, he smelled the fabric and slowly leaned into it as if it were a pillow. Michael didn't turn away when he saw the amount of grief and sadness in the dog's eyes. He chocked another whine and tears started to fill his eyes, Michael caressed unconsciously his fur trying to soothe him, but the movement of his hand seemed to have startled him, reminding him of the two people that were on top of him, because he turned his eyes towards him in surprise.

His body tensed as he looked warily at him; he then proceed to look around again, though calmly this time, and something about the cabin relaxed him a little but that didn't stop him to keep trying to escape. He tried to stand up quickly, taking advantage that their grip wasn't as strong as before, but he flinched when he moved his injured leg. Lucifer once again grabbed him, but the dog simply ignored him, instead he concentrated in looking at the state of his injuries with some amount of surprise.

"Calm down. It's going to be fine; it's only a fracture in the knee."

"The mutt doesn't understand what are you saying, Michael." Michael knew that he was right but he always found soothing to talk with the animals at his charge when he treated them, and for some reason it seemed even more right to do it with this dog.

The dog didn't seem to care how badly his injuries were, because he tried to stand up once again. Michael saw how Lucifer was glaring at him, giving him the 'Now what we do, genius?' look and he knew that their best option would be to sedate him, so he glanced at the table where he had left the injection and with a sigh he grabbed it and took advantage when the dog was distracted.

It took ten more minutes than usual to obtain the result he wanted. Luce sat on the floor and tried to gain his breath, Michael checked the dog's splint first and fixed it, but it didn't take long for him to join his brother's side.

"You know," He started. "People dig scars, they found it sexy. But not bruises, Michael."

Michael scoffed while he examined him from the corner of his eye; his eyes were closed so he wouldn't scowl ay him for worrying. Using that as an advantage he leaned to see better his arms that now were a little more bruised than before but other than that he didn't had any serious injury.

"I can feel your eyes, dumbass. Look for yourself first." He frowned, but didn't open his eyes as he talked. Michael grinned at Luce but he didn't check himself. He could already feel his own wounds and knew that there were only a few scratches on his arms and that his bruises would be more noticeable tomorrow.

"I'm fine." Michael said, closing his own eyes too, answering the question that wasn't spoken out loud. They stayed in comfortable silence for a while after that, just trying to recover their breath. But Michael couldn't ignore how confused he felt. He had treated a great number of dogs with injured limbs, and it seemed almost instinctive when they avoided touching anything with it to avoid the pain. But this dog instead put more pressure to his injured leg when he tried to stood, almost intentionally, and for some reason Michael couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Oh, for the love of- Stop thinking, I'm trying to relax here!"


	4. The Dog Whisperer

**A/N. Sorry that it took me so long to update this. I was so tired and got distracted easily~**

**Well, enjoy~**

**-000-**

The sun was setting; a brilliant orange color was now coloring the sky as the sun continued to leave; it was the same soft tone from yesterday. Michael loved them and wanted to enjoy watching the sunset every day but his job always made it almost impossible, because by the time he was done with his work it was night, there were just a few stars above him. They were beautiful too as they lighted the city, but he also liked the warm colors of the nature.

That's why he accepted Luce's proposal, he wanted to come here exactly for that; but he was now inside the cabin so he wasn't able to appreciate the brush of the wind against the trees or the murmur of animals, instead he only heard the soft respiration of the dog and his brother as he talked on the phone, annoyed by his tone.

He tore his eyes away from his cold cup of coffee when he felt a hand on his shoulder, knocking him off his thoughts.

"Those were the rangers?" He asked at his brother, he didn't turn to look at him, he could hear his steps as he rounded the couch.

"Yes, they returned my call to inform me that they haven't found any bodies." Luce sat on the spot next to him, looking at the can that lay on top of some spare sheets they have found.

"Human bodies you mean?" Luce turned towards him.

"Well, yeah, but they haven't found any dead animals either, though they did mentioned seeing trails of dried blood of animal."

"Trails?" He clenched his teeth.

"They were hunting something for the looks of it, or that's what they told me. " Luce took a sip from Michael's cup, frowning at the temperature. "They don't think it's a murder case but they're looking for evidence just in case."

Michael sighed heavily as he rubbed his eyes. "You told them about the shirt?"

"Oh, about that." Luce glanced at the dog again. "They said that they were going to come to give it to the police as possible evidence. They want to know if it belongs to a human so we need to stay here until they come." His shook his head but his lips quirked in amusement. "I want to see them trying to take it from the mutt."

Michael couldn't help but smile, it has been hard to just move the dog on the floor and he had been asleep by that time.

He glanced at the dog whose impossible sad eyes were still unfocused as he looked blankly at the doors that lead to the forest. He woke up a few hours ago, resigning at his predicament, not after trying constantly to stand up though, and ending really tired because of that. He didn't succeed to advance more than a few inches and Michael had to accommodate his bandages with every try he did; the first times the dog almost bit him, but then as his hope vanished his barks turned into growls, until one time he simply ignored him and calmly lay, defeated.

Michael decided after realizing how tired the dog was to fry one of the meats Luce brought with him, without any condiments of course, and he had to soften it first before he decided to cut it in small pieces so it'll be easier for him to eat, but the dog hadn't touched the plate that Michael had positioned close enough for him to be able to reach, nor the other bowl with water.

"We're going to return back after the rangers come, right?" Lucifer asked nonchalantly.

"The dog needs better assistance and I need to give him a proper check-"

"Yeah, yeah. We can repeat it again next month then." Luce smirked at him. "And this time you're not going to evade it, brother."

"I promise." Luce nodded, accepting his words he kept drinking his cold coffee. He knew that Luce will have to reschedule his plans to do this again, as he had done for this time. They didn't had so much time to see each other since Lucifer started to work, but his little brother always managed to got the time to remind him about how he needed to relax.

"Besides, you're going to be the one to call Charlie to tell her that her vacations are over and I think that's punishing enough for leaving early." He smiled over the edge of the cup.

"She'll have to reschedule my appointments too." Michael sighed, looking at the dog. He'll need to call the assistants too, but Charlie had been the one excited because of a comic-con that was going to be just in the date he took a trip with his brother. Michael wished that he had the ease she had with computers so he could do it by himself, or perhaps he could ask someone for help and if none could help him his last resort will be Luce, but it'll be like sell your soul to the Devil.

"Okay, this was depressing enough." Luce said as stood up and started stretching. "I'm going to cook us something, and how you sacrificed your meat it'll be only vegetables to you."

"You don't want me to cook instead?" He offered when his brother started to walk.

"Your cooking skills are awful if you don't follow a recipe, Michael." He scoffed. "I'm surprised that you're even still alive, brother."

"Have you forgotten who cook for you?"

"I'm also surprised that I'm still alive." He said as he reached the hall.

With his brother gone Michael decided to do something productive while he cooked; so he stood up and moved closer to the dog. He didn't acknowledge his presence at first, but when Michael was just a few steps away from him he started to growl. The sound was deeper than most dogs of big raze, with a power that made chills to run through his spine.

Michael held both of his arms at his sides and kept them in clear view as he walked at a slower pace, trying to look nonthreatening as he approached. The dog turned annoyed eyes towards him when Michael started to kneel in front of the plates and for one second he thought that the dog was going to stood up and bite him, without caring if he fell for the pain or if his injuries opened, but Michael's determination didn't faltered. His plan was to wait silently until the dog grew tired of growling.

A couple of minutes later convinced him that that wasn't going to be the case, the dog wasn't going to back off; something told Michael that this dog was stubborn enough to not stop growling until his throat was raw.

He sighed and chose to do another tactic. He decided to compromise the safety his hand as he started to move it towards the plate with food, grabbing a small piece of meat, making sure that the dog followed his movements. He frowned at him slightly when Michael put the meat in his mouth and started to eat it; it was his attempt to show the dog that the food didn't had any potion, in case if that was one of the reasons he hadn't tried it. Michael had seen dogs that were ready to starve themselves after being poisoned, afraid of every meal and only trusting in the food that their owners gave them.

It was Michael's turn to frown when the dog merely scoffed at him and turned away as if he had guessed his intention and considered his actions funny.

"Perhaps you don't like meat?" Michael said out loud, though he knew that there have been a few cases of dogs who didn't like meat or more like they have been conditioned to not eat it.

A few pounds of meat were always good for a can and one could get sick without it, but there were always owners who didn't want their mascots to eat it, afraid that it may turn them into beast, so they chose to use a vegetarian diet on them. Idiots.

"I've fried it in case you didn't eat raw meat." He commented. "Not too much though."He added at the taste the meat had left on his mouth, even if he had tried to soften it, it still had been too raw for him.

The dog kept ignoring him, choosing instead to lean more into the shirt's essence. Michael's lips pursed; he knew that the smell would disappear in a few days, and for the way the dog didn't stop rubbing himself against it, he deduced that he knew too.

"You've loss a great quantity of blood; you need to eat because I don't have any serum here to give you."

The dog turned his head quickly towards him, looking as if he was glaring at Michael, showing his teeth as he growled.

Michael blinked, tilting his head as he continued talking. "I don't think the owner of that shirt will be happy to know that you aren't eating. "

The dog's stubbornness faltered slightly as he turned away, he looked down and seemed in deep thought as he rubbed his nose more into the shirt. Michael raised an eyebrow and was ready to comment the unusual behavior, but the dog surprised him as he turned his head and started to sniff the plate, slowly moving his mouth towards it. He carefully ate the pieces of meat, chewing without locking eyes with him, looking completely annoyed and slightly embarrassed.

His eyes still looked lost but Michael smiled at the progress; he wanted to extend his hand towards his fur to show him that he had done good, but he suspected that the dog wouldn't accept it and it would only end with him recoiling and Michael didn't want his progress to go to a waste.

The dog didn't look appalled as he smelled another piece, drinking some water before he decided to try it again.

"Uhm… My brother commented my cooking skills, but I thought I could fry meat just fine, perhaps next time I'll add something more, what do you think?" He asked gently.

"Oh, god. You're talking to a mutt." Michael looked over his shoulder and saw his brother standing in the hall that lead to the kitchen. "Is this why father never let us have a pet?"

Michael sobered at the mention of their father.

"Perhaps." He said though, wanting to change the topic. "Weren't you cooking?"

"Yes, just wanted to ask you what types of noodles did you want for the soup, but I better decide for myself. I seem to be the only sane here."

"You want a hand?" Michael was ready to stand up, but his brother stopped him with a hand.

"Don't wanna ruin your date with the mutt, bro." He said as he walked away. "And don't forget to call Charlie."

-000-

The rangers came at eight; they asked a few questions concerning the events of yesterday and about the dog. Michael said that he would take the dog with them to take care of him, if he let him with rangers he was sure that the dog would end being put to sleep because he didn't had any collar on him. He finally convinced them when he gave proof enough that he was a vet and he wouldn't let him until his owners came for him.

They wanted the shirt but after watching the size of the dog they decided to give Michael the chance to obtain it for them. Luce snickered at that, mumbling about how the rangers have changed.

The dog seemed to know what he wanted because in the moment Michael approached he hid the shirt under his body, his growls became louder, echoing through the cabin and made every human slightly nervous. Michael knew that he wouldn't obtain the entire shirt so he grabbed the small scissors he had used the night before to cut some bandages for the dog.

"I'll not take it from you." Michael said quietly. "Just a piece will be enough, I think."

He turned towards the rangers that looked him strangely but one nodded. "We just need to test some of the blood, sir. I don't think the police will care if it's just a piece."

Michael looked at the dog again and showed him the scissors. "I'll cut a small piece, okay?"

He barked at him and Michael could see the anger, fear, and despair in his eyes, as if he was going to destroy his entire world with those scissors, he couldn't remember when the growls turned into howls. He placed them on the floor and added gently. "They'll sedate you and take the entire shirt away from you; I promise I'll just cut a piece."

The dog moved his paw away with resignation and showed a piece of cloth that had been under it, his teeth were still bared, daring Michael to cut something more than what he liked. Michael leaned closer, remembering that the last time he had been this close to him he could only hear his barks against his hear.

"Michael." His tone was hard and full of concern, he moved closer when Michael started to cut; if the dog wanted he could bite his neck and kill him.

"Thanks." He murmured when he was done, giving the cloth to the rangers and see them fly away from their cabin after giving some instructions about safety and asking for their numbers in case the police will need it.

"So I get that we're going to go back home then?" Luce sighed, leaning against the principal door.

"Do you wish to sleep first?" He asked

"Nah, I'll get some when we're in your apartment." He turned towards the dog. "So how are going to put him in the car again?"

Michael didn't know. For some luck the dog hadn't be too difficult to deal with, but that didn't meant that it'll be easy to move him while he was conscious.

Luce patted his shoulder as he went inside the cabin. "Don't worry; you can always do your 'Dog Whisperer' thing-y again and fix it."

Michael smiled faintly at his brother as he glanced outside.


End file.
